kcbin.com

What: Bamboozled is a personal favorite, largely because I discovered it through an online meme and felt it deserved a place in the kcbin.com collection. The illusion makes the tall bamboo sticks seem slanted and creates a swaying motion in your peripheral vision.

How To: Adjust the sizes and quantity to intensify the illusion, and experiment with different colors. You'll notice that outline colors which form high-contrast shapes enhance the effect—though in my experience, many smaller squares tend to work best.

Explain It: This is a form of illusory motion, where the brain's motion detection is confused by the stark contrast between black and white outlines. As Wikipedia explains:

Apparent motion may result from differing neural signals between black and white areas in an image. White areas can trigger an "on-off" signal, while black areas produce an "off-on" signal. When black and white parts are shown together, the timing mismatch in their "on" signals may activate motion-sensitive neurons.